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Zenitsu was currently wasting away in another apartment he had found. His money and rations were growing thin and his eyes were baggy from how little sleep he had gotten in the last couple days. The events of that day still flashed through his mind. All of the headless bodies and Kaigaku's words haunted him. He was disappointed in himself as always, he was too scared to stop his comrade and allowed his neighbors to be cut down like animals. Zenitsu wasn't sure how much more of this life he could handle, however, a Kasugai Sparrow (Zenitsu' assigned bird) made its presence known as it stormed in through the window while carrying a rolled up letter. Chuntaro, the sparrow, was immediately disgusted at the hideous smell of Zenitsu' room as it was barely kept with food and unwashed clothes everywhere. Zenitsu barely uttered the bird's name but the Sparrow indicated to the letter on its back. The boy reached for the letter and opened it up, surprised by the fact that they would still send him a Kasugai Crow despite him leaving the Demon Slayer corps. As he opened the letter and began to read it, his heart sank into his stomach and his eyes widened in disbelief of what he was reading:
Zenitsu's former master, Jigoro Kuwajima, has been killed by Kaigaku. The former demon slayer has been confirmed to be a demon now and targeted the old man. The remains are still being cleaned up as they speak.
Zenitsu's head rested against the wall as he felt everything stop. He couldn't believe it, everything got worse. The only other person he cared about is now dead, there's no one left. The realization hit even worse when the boy understood that it was his own fault. Had he mustered the strength to stop his classmate then and there, his master would still be alive. None of this would've happened if Zenitsu wasn't the failure that he was. It's because of Zenitsu that a former demon slayer has joined the demon ranks and is killing everyone in the name of his own sense of justice and there's nothing he could do about it. He's worthless as a demon slayer. The boy curled up and bawled his eyes out upon reading the news. Chuntaro could only feel terrible for being the one to deliver the unfortunate news to the boy.
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Tanjiro's eyelids cracked open only to be met with the harsh rays of the sun intruding into his sight. He couldn't block it out with his hands as they were bound behind him with a rope. He was forced to look away so he could adjust to the current setting and realized he was in front of the Demon Slayer Headquarters where he faced his previous trial along with the Hellwalker. That's right, he was talking with Murata before that Hashira swooped in and killed Murata before taking Tanjiro prisoner. The boy couldn't help but ponder over Murata's words, were demons and humans more alike than he was led to assume? Has he treated them too harshly for the longest time? He mentioned Daki's bloodlust and taste for murder, but when it comes down to it, Tanjiro was the exact same way with demons. Both sides, demons and human alike, have the strong desire to destroy the other. Why? Why is it like that? Murata said that humans gave them no choice, but at the same time, the demons did the same exact thing. Both sides influence each other's hatred so what's correct? Who's right and who's wrong?
Tanjiro looked around and noticed all of the Hashira lined up in a straight line in front of the headquarters where their master stood last time. Some were sitting in the dark while others stood in the light. Everyone was there, including Renoku who had a solemn expression as he sat within the shadows. The man was in a much better condition (physically) than a couple weeks ago which means the man was making a swift recovery. Uzui stood proud and Shinobu looked unnerved. Tanjiro did a quick sweep of the garden and found Kanao also present, although she was further away from everyone else, spectating the events. She gasped upon being discovered but gave a little wave to the boy who smiled upon seeing her. Uzui spoke up, "What's with the smile, Kamado? You're about to be under trial for the second time. Doesn't this upset you?"
Tanjiro wasn't really sure what he was supposed to say to his masters. He could only imagine how confused they are about the situation, especially with his recent proclamations of demonic destruction. Now he's beginning to rethink everything and isn't remotely sure what to feel and say anymore. Shinobu also spoke up, "What happened, Kamado? I thought you told me that demons couldn't be reasoned with, what changed?"
Tanjiro felt a sting with that and couldn't look the woman in the eye as he tried explained, "I'm not sure, I feel lost and confused. There's many things I'm conflicted with and a lot I need to figure out."
Uzui chimed in, "Well, that'll all have to wait, Kamado. You have to focus on the here and now and explain to the master your undeniably treasonous affiliation with the demon, Murata."
Tanjiro raised his voice to a near shout as he spoke in retaliation, "He was a demon slayer like the rest of us! Don't talk as if he was something else!"
The Hashira looked towards each other with disapproval plastered on their faces. Sanemi decided to butt in as he said to Uzui, "Say, Tengen, you told me his sister went wild during your last mission, right? You think that gives me permission to kill her now?"
Uzui responded, "Yes, she did, but the fact remains that nobody was hurt by her rampage. That will be up to the master to decide." Tanjiro couldn't help but take notice of Rengoku's silence, he was behind everyone else, almost as if he didn't want to be a part of it. The Hashira was biting his lip and refused to raise his eyes to meet Tanjiro's.
The Hashira heard the approaching footsteps of their master and quickly assembled into a line as they bowed towards the sickly young man aided by his two daughters. Ubuyashiki ushered towards his subordinates, "At ease, everyone. Let's proceed with the trial." The Hashira stood at attention as they all faced the boy who was on the floor, unable to sit up. It was unnecessarily intimidating to have a dozen people looking down on you from a high position while you lay there, helpless, on the floor. "Now, Tanjiro, the last time you were here, you were facing a trial regarding your demonic sister. I do admit, we had not seen anything like Nezuko before so most of our accusation was merely baseless conjecture out of pure shock of the situation. However, the fact was and still remains that Nezuko has not eaten a single soul. That isn't the issue, here. The issue lies with your compliance with the demon, Murata, who has actually been confirmed to have taken the life of a demon slayer. We're all aware of it and so are you. Just because we gave you permission to travel with Nezuko doesn't mean you can be nice to all other demons you cross paths with. We have citizens to protect, you are aware of that fact, right?"
Tanjiro sat up as he explained, "Murata told me he was defending himself, he didn't want to fight at all!"
Iguro countered with, "Do you really trust a demon that took the life of one of our comrades and betrayed our trust? He could easily be manipulating his little tear-jerker of a story to make you sympathize for him. Regardless of who attacked first, the fact remains that he still killed one of our comrades."
"He- he had to defend his friends from the demon slayer! He was trying to protect them!"
Sanemi burst out laughing as he pointed out, "So you're telling me you trust a demon who killed one of our own people to protect other murderous demons? Are you trying to say that our boy shouldn't have intervened and let those murderous bastards eat a poor civilian?!"
"Murata told me that they only went after criminals, nothing else."
Uzui presented a counterpoint, "What constitutes a criminal in a demon's eyes? With how deluded and deranged those creatures are, they can spout whatever nonsense they want and call it a day. It doesn't matter who they kill as long as they're fed."
Tanjiro winced in pain, demon, demon, demon, it's like they're being addressed as an entirely different species. They're humans, dammit! Nezuko is testament to that, she tries so hard to hold onto her humanity and Murata fought for it till the very end. He can't speak for all demons, but he can certainly speak for the ones he does know and he can say without a doubt that they are people just like him. Tanjiro barked at the Hashira, "PEOPLE, NOT DEMONS, PEOPLE! They're human beings who were forced into their roles. My sister, Nezuko, she didn't ask to become a demon. Murata, he didn't ask for any of this either! Despite his loyalties remaining on our side, we still treated him like shit for the basic fact that he was a demon!"
Ubuyashiki told Tanjiro, "He still killed one of our own, do you defend his actions despite that?"
"That event traumatized him! All of it did! His family turned their backs on him, our entire organization went on the hunt for him! We gave him no choice but to run! Lest he gave into his urges and started slaughtering people but he wouldn't do that! His loyalties are with the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Shinobu finally interrupted as she explained to the boy, "Tanjiro, you're not really making a case for yourself. You're justifying the actions of a demon who murdered one of our comrades. If this is your testimony, it's only working against you."
Iguro mocked the boy's behavior by saying, "We're not here to be convinced, boy, we're here to discuss why you didn't kill the demon the minute he revealed himself. It's your job, as a demon slayer, to wipe out all demons. This is a clear violation of our code to be sympathizing for a demon in this manner."
Tanjiro legitimately couldn't believe what he was hearing. Do these people have sticks up their asses?! It's like everything he's saying is either going in one ear and out the other or just slamming into a brick wall. Nothing is getting through to these people! Look at them, acting all high and mighty because they're Hashira, dictating their own rules and enforcing it at their own leisure. He couldn't believe the amount of arrogance these people had, they could give less of a shit for anyone below them! They don't have a strong sense of justice, no real sense of integrity, they're just people who happen to protect the innocent because it comes with the job. They don't give a shit about the people around them!
Tanjiro managed to hop onto his feet despite the rope wrapped around his ankles which made the Hashira get into a defensive position out of instinct. Tanjiro nearly mumbled to himself, "All of you people are impossible. It's like everything I'm saying isn't going through to you guys. DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING?! MURATA WAS ONE OF US, HE DIDN'T WANT TO HURT ANYONE ELSE BUT WE TREATED HIM LIKE SHIT! HE CAME TO ME FOR HELP BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE, WE GAVE HIM NO CHOICE. WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AGAIN, HUH?! ARE WE JUST GOING TO DISCARD ALL OF OUR LOYAL DEMON SLAYERS FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THEY BECAME A DEMON WHETHER THEY WANTED TO OR NOT?! Don't misunderstand me, I am not advocating for the murderous psychopaths out there. I still despise them to the core BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE US THE RIGHT TO IGNORE EVERYONE ELSE!"
The Hashira looked towards each other before looking towards their master who was speechless after what he had just heard. Kanao had her hand over her mouth in shock of Tanjiro's rage, she had never seen the boy get so heated before. It was more surprising because he was getting upset for a demon, something she couldn't understand. She had always been taught by Shinobu that demons were horrible creatures that needed to be wiped from the face of the Earth. It was difficult for her to remotely comprehend Tanjiro's predicament. She, too, was at a loss for words.
Sanemi drew his blade as he announced, "I think we've heard enough from this foolish child. He's a demon sympathizer, said and done. We can't have someone like that roaming the streets while these demons kill people. Master, allow me the privilege of taking his life!"
The Hashira looked shocked upon hearing those words but their attention was caught by Tanjiro who shouted back, "Really?! Is this the verdict you choose after hearing me out?! Is this an organization full of ignorant, racist, egotistical, discriminatory ASSHOLES?! I REFUSE to work for an organization that's so blinded by their own ego's that they're unwilling to give a second thought to the people below them! I quit. I am done working for the Demon Slayer Corps. From this point on, I'll be acting on my own volition, calling my own shots! Not following the orders from an organization full of murder hobos who have no other agenda!" Tanjiro summoned upon his spiritual energy to rip the rope apart with ease, it was much easier now that he had mastered the Sun Breathing form. Tanjiro looked towards Uzui, Rengoku, and Shinobu before bowing and thanking them, "Masters Rengoku, Kocho, and Uzui, thank you for everything you have done for me. For that, I cannot thank you enough but this is where we part ways. Farewell." The boy finished before spinning around and began marching away from the headquarters. Sanemi charged towards the boy but Ubuyashiki shouted as loud as he could:
"SANEMI, Stand down!" The Hashira stopped and all of the others looked towards their master out of confusion as they begged for the reasoning behind such a ridiculous order. He explained to them, "Kamado has a point I cannot deny any longer. If you silence him, you're only proving him right. Let him go."
Iguro protested, "But master! He's a demon sympathizer! How many more demons is this guy going to protect and allow to hurt other people?!"
"I don't think it's as simple as that, Iguro. He knows it too. However, we would be fools not to heed his words. We have driven the boy to this point, as we did many others. We have no one else to blame but ourselves."
Kanao stepped out and ran after Tanjiro in a hurry. Shinobu reached out for her younger sister but was stopped by Rengoku who extended his arm to block the woman. Shinobu looked towards the young man who shook his head in disapproval. Uzui crossed his arms and made a "Hmph" sound before commenting, "You were pretty quiet, Rengoku, that's unlike you."
Rengoku finally responded with, "I am conflicted in all honesty. My loyalties are towards you lot but I also have a duty to stand by my student's side. Although I am uncertain of his current viewpoint, I can't help but feel proud of him. He finally stood up for himself. The last time he spoke with us, he was a helpless child shouting and yelling for us not to take his sister away. However, he's grown past that. I trust that Kamado boy will still do what needs to be done, things have changed for him now. All I can do is support him as his master and watch, from the sidelines, the man he'll grow into."
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Tanjiro didn't look back, he kept his gaze straight ahead as he wasn't sure what he'd see if he looked back. He had to abandon all of it now and start anew. He heard someone's footsteps approaching him as Kanao cried out, "Tanjiro! Wait up!" The boy winced, he didn't want to do this. He didn't want to say goodbye to Kanao. The girl spoke up, "Tanjiro, I don't understand what's going on! Why are you doing this?"
"Did you see them? The Hashira? All of them are helpless, they're so blinded by their arrogance they refused to hear what I had to say."
"Tanjiro, demons are bad, right? Why are you defending them like this?"
"Is that what you think or is that what you were told to think?" Kanao couldn't say anything else, she tried to separate her own thoughts and try to come to terms with what was actually her own, original ideas but she got stuck in the process. Tanjiro turned to look the girl in the eye as he explained, "Kanao, there's more than just the dogmatic views of the Hashira or the Demon Slayer Corps. This whole situation is bigger than any of us, it's bigger than anything I could've possibly imagined. For years, I've held nothing but disdain for the demons but now? I feel like I was wrong."
Kanao asked out of curiosity, "What are you going to do, then?" There was a pause with Tanjiro's next response as he formulated his next answer:
"I don't know. But... I'm still going to protect people, no matter what. No one will get in my way of that, regardless if they're a human or a demon. It's my responsibility, as a person of power, to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. I will be the shield that protects them all from danger." Kanao still couldn't process the boy's words, all of these concepts, these ideas seemed so foreign to her. Tanjiro assured her, "Kanao, I'm not trying to disrespect Lady Shinobu. I still hold a great deal of respect towards her but you cannot just listen to everything she has to say. You need to go out and find your own truth, not someone else's."
Kanao was moved by these words. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to say something in that moment, three simple words that meant a lot to her. As she prepared herself to say it, she was cut off by Tanjiro who said, "This is probably going to be the last time I ever see you, Kanao. I don't expect us to be crossing paths after this now that I'm on bad terms with the Demon Slayer Corps. Knowing this, I just wanted to tell you that I respect you, a lot, as a person. Stay safe, Kanao, it was nice knowing you."
Kanao had to say what was on her mind. The words slipped out of her mouth, "I'll miss you." She raised her eyebrows in surprise as those weren't the words she wanted to say, she meant to say something else. However, the boy replied back in a somber tone:
"I'll miss you, too." Before forcing himself to walk forwards, away from the girl he had undeniably strong feelings towards. He had to do it, there was no other choice. As the gap between the two swordsmen increased, Kanao stood by as a single tear rolled down her cheek as watched the boy who meant so much to her walk away until he could no longer be seen. She mouthed the three words she wanted to say, but it was pointless as the boy was long gone.
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The Doom Slayer was assembling a Nichirin Rifle and was carefully putting the parts together. It was late at night and the warrior was the only one awake as Sagetsu had already fallen asleep. As he put the parts together, he heard the door to shed slide open and the cold wind of the night flooded the room. The Slayer didn't look to see who was at the door, it was none of his business. Tanjiro furrowed his brows as he told the slayer without raising his voice too much so as to not wake Sagetsu, "There's something I need to tell you. I respect you immensely, you're like a role model to me. I respected you so much to the point I tried to be like you. However, I've seen what holding that much rage does to someone. I made mistakes, I said and did things I regret and I was scared of the person I was becoming. That's why I decided I don't want to be anything like you, not anymore. I also retract my previous statement about killing demons. You're wrong about them, at least, not fully. I don't know what you've been through but I'm here to say that not all demons are bad. I recently lost a good friend who was a demon and it really helped open my eyes and show me how judgemental I had become of them. You might regard them as creatures that need to be destroyed, but I'm choosing to stay firm with my parent's words and sympathize with them as individuals. I know you're going to disagree with me, but I've made my point and I said everything that's been on my mind." Tanjiro closed the door behind him as he departed the scene.
The warrior had not moved an inch during Tanjiro's speech, remaining silent as he slowly turned around to look at the door Tanjiro was just at. He slowly went back to work on the weapon he was crafting, he had no comment to make on the situation.